Treasure of the Sahara: A JB McGregor Novel

By Randy Jones

JB became a self-made Billionaire by selling the huge Internet company he started 10 years earlier. He sold his company to the largest Internet search engine company in the world in exchange for $18.8 billion. The initial investment JB made to create his company was less than $7,000, so selling the company was a no brainer. After selling the company, JB increased his wealth to over 24 billion through some very wise investments.
JB's current business is in investments. He buys and sells big time real estate. He also invests in young entrepreneurs and new startup companies.
He is JB McGregor of the U.S. Virgin Islands. Specifically, Papaya Island, also known locally as McGregor Island, located in a small cluster of islands just to the north of St. Thomas and St. John. JB also has a cottage in Key West Florida, a multi-million dollar mansion on the waterway in Fort Lauderdale off of Bayview Drive, and a huge ocean-front mansion just outside Honomu, Hawaii. JB will be giving the cottage in Key West Florida to a former employee as a retirement gift as soon as the current cottage remodeling job is complete. JB is recognized in the media as one who helps and shares his wealth without hesitation.
Most of JB's staff travel with him everywhere he goes. They are all paid very well and have excellent benefits. His employees are also extremely loyal to him. JB has provided each staff member with superb medical insurance along with an outstanding 401k plan. The age of most staff members is about 33 years old, the same age as JB. On Papaya Island, they all live in the bungalow's JB had built, which are nestled in the dense vegetation just out of sight of the main house on the island. When JB is in Hawaii, they have a similar setup. When in Fort Lauderdale, JB's staff members usually stay on the yacht where they each have their own cabin. JB and his staff maintain offices in the Papaya mansion, the Honomu mansion, and on his yacht.
Since selling his company, JB has had several thrilling adventures. The adventures magically come his way, thanks to Sam Peters, his business partner and sometimes the adventures come from one of the entrepreneurs JB has invested in. Most of these adventures have paid off very well. Plus, the adventures are usually fun and exciting...
JB McGregor is asked by two of his employees to help a man they had met at a yacht convention in Florida, David Wade. David wants to find some valuables that had been confiscated by dictators in Italy, Germany, and various other countries from families during between 1933 and 1945 World War II. David wants to return the valuables to the rightful owners or descendants. David Wade's father and his grandfather performed years of research and are almost certain that the valuables were being transported on a DC-3 airplane that crashed in the Sahara desert in 1953.
An expedition to the Sahara desert is formed to try and find a DC-3 airplane that crashed in 1953. The airplane was transporting stolen family treasures by various dictators during World War 2. The airplane was heading from Johannesburg South Africa to the United States where the treasures would be sold off. The airplane crash is assumed to be in the vicinity of the Ahaggar Mountains (also known as Hoggar Mountains) near Tamanrasset, Algeria because the last radio transmission of the DC-3 was to the Tamanrasset airport.
Unfortunately, a team of known criminals somehow got wind of the treasure and follow JB's expedition throughout the desert.

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookRix
• Release date: Jun 5, 2020
• ISBN: 9783748744634

Book preview

Title Page

Randy Ivy Jones

Treasure of the Sahara

A JB McGregor Novel - Book 1

The Billionaire Series

Randy Jones Publishing

Copyright

www.randyivyjones.com

This is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used ficticiously. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Copyright 2018 by Randy Ivy Jones

All rights reserved. This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form without prior written permission of the publisher, except as provided by United States of America copyright law."

First eBook edition: October 2018

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Cover

Title Page

Dedication

Characters

Introduction

Book Notes

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Also by...

About me...

Dedication

Dedication

This is for you Babe...

Thanks for always being there -- not only for me, but also for our three kids and the grandkids. You are a great Wife, Mom and Memebear to all of us.

~ Randy

Characters

Main Characters

JB McGregor

    Self-made Multi-Billionaire

Jeri Richards

    JB's Personal Assistant

    (Business and Personal Affairs Manager)

Sam Peters

    JB's Personal Assistant

    (Business Partner)

Charlie Davidson

    JB's Chief Pilot

    (Helicopter and Jet)

John O'Connor

    JB's Pilot

    (Helicopter and Jet)

Scott Johnson

    JB's Yacht Captain

Carla Young

    JB's Chief of Housekeeping

    (Wife of Joe Young)

Joe Young

    JB's Chief Groundskeeper

    (Husband of Carla Young)

Jimmie Donovan

    JB's Head of Vehicle Maintenance, Limo Driver and Primary Bodyguard

Toby Matthews

    JB's Mr. Fixit

    (Household and Grounds)

Bob Travant

    JB's Head Chef

    (House, Yacht and Jet)

Supporting Characters

David Wade

    3rd Generation Wade Searching for DC-3 Aircraft

Jessica Wade

    4th Generation Wade Searching for DC-3 Aircraft

Peter Caraway

    Senior partner of JB's US legal team, Caraway and Caraway Law Firm

Sara Brothers

    Part of JB's US legal team, Caraway and Caraway Law Firm

Samantha Smithers

    Part of JB's US legal team, Caraway and Caraway Law Firm

Tony Caruthers

    Part of JB's US legal team, Caraway and Caraway Law Firm

Eddie Baker

    Vietnam buddy of David Wade, resident of Algeria

Youssef Ayadi

    Eddie Baker's business partner

Mustafa Mokrani

    Mustafa Mokrani, the manager of airport services at Algiers International Airport

Khalil Hamidou

    Eddie's arms and special equipment supplier

Djamel Loucif

    Part of the Rachedi law firm in Algiers

Hamza Ouraghi

    Part of the Rachedi law firm in Algiers

Brahim Kerchouche

    Helicopter Pilot for the Rachedi law firm in Algiers

Abdelaziz Korichi

    Algerian Department of Intelligence

Hakim Lahlali

    Algerian Department of Intelligence

Walid Mabrouki

    Algerian Department of Intelligence

Tayeb Ramdani

    Algerian Department of Intelligence

Steve Lash

    Leader of a caravan of vehicles following JB's team throughout the Sahara Desert

Oussama Saboundji

    General Manager of Aeroport de Tamanrasset

Fouad Benredjem

    Tamanrasset City Manager

Introduction

Introduction

A Class Act ...

JB became a self-made Billionaire by selling the huge Internet company he started 10 years earlier. He sold his company to the largest Internet search engine company in the world in exchange for $18.8 billion. The initial investment JB made to create his company was less than $7,000, so selling the company was a no brainer. After selling the company, JB increased his wealth to over 48 billion through some incredibly wise investments.

JB's current business is in investments. He buys and sells big time real estate. He also invests in young entrepreneurs and new startup companies. One of the larger business ventures that JB owns is McGregor Space Systems. The company was formed about 1999 and was the first company JB acquired after becoming a billionaire. JB immediately revived the floundering company through lucrative contracts for NASA in their new commercialization program.

He is JB McGregor of the U.S. Virgin Islands. Specifically, Papaya Island, also known locally as McGregor Island, located in a small cluster of islands just to the north of St. Thomas and St. John. JB also has a cottage in Key West Florida, a multi-million-dollar mansion on the waterway in Fort Lauderdale off of Bayview Drive, and a huge ocean-front mansion just outside Honomu, Hawaii. JB will be giving the cottage in Key West Florida to a former employee as a retirement gift as soon as the cottage remodeling job is complete. JB is recognized in the media as one who helps and shares his wealth without hesitation.

Most of JB's staff travel with him everywhere he goes. They are all paid very well and have excellent benefits. His employees are also extremely loyal to him. JB has provided each staff member with superb medical insurance along with an outstanding 401k plan. The age of most staff members is about 33 years old, the same age as JB. On Papaya Island, they all live in the bungalow's JB designed and built, which are nestled in the dense vegetation just out of sight of the main house on the island. When JB is in Hawaii, they have a similar setup. When in Fort Lauderdale, JB's staff members usually stay on the yacht where they each have their own cabin. JB and his staff maintain offices in the Papaya mansion, the Honomu mansion, and on his yacht.

Since selling his company, JB has had several thrilling adventures. The adventures magically come his way, thanks to Sam Peters, his business partner. Sometimes the adventures come from one of the entrepreneurs JB has invested in. Most of these adventures have paid off very well. Plus, the adventures are usually fun and exciting...

JB McGregor is asked by two of his employees to help, David Wade, a man they had met at a yacht convention in Florida. David wants to find multi-million-dollar valuables that had been confiscated by dictators in Italy, Germany, and various other countries from families during between 1933 and 1945 World War II. David wants to return the valuables to the rightful owners or descendants. David Wade's father and his grandfather performed years of research and are almost certain that the valuables were being transported on a DC-3 airplane that crashed in the Sahara desert in 1953 while traveling from Johannesburg South Africa to the United States.

An expedition to the Sahara desert is formed by JB, David Wade, and several of JB's employees to try and find the DC-3 airplane. The airplane crash is assumed to be in the vicinity of the Ahaggar Mountains (also known as Hoggar Mountains) near Tamanrasset, Algeria. The last radio transmission of the DC-3 was with the Tamanrasset airport.

Unfortunately, a team of known criminals somehow got wind of the treasure and follow JB's expedition throughout the desert.

Treasure of the Sahara

Randy Ivy Jones (2018)

Book Notes

Book Notes

Coordinates

Curious about the various GPS coordinate locations found throughout The Multi-Million Dollar Treasure? You can track the paths of travel JB and the crew took by either clicking on the geographical coordinates found throughout the book or by copying the set of coordinates into your favorite map application. For best results, use the aerial (satellite view). Some map applications can also display in 3D which allows you to view the topography of an area. Some of the locations below have wonderful topography...

Our Hangars at Algiers International Airport Houari Boumediene, Dar El Beida, Algiers, Algeria...

36°42'08.7N 3°13'15.2E

    alternate form    36.702403, 3.220889

Our 1st Campsite on the North Side of Ghardaia near the old bus station...

32°32'31.6N 3°40'28.5E

    alternate form    32.542116, 3.674586

Our 2nd Campsite on the South Side of In Salah...

27°10'38.4N 2°29'52.1E

    alternate form    27.177321, 2.497793

Our 3rd Campsite on the North Side of the Trans-Sahara Highway at Tamanrasset...

22°50'10.5N 5°22'03.1E

    alternate form    22.836254, 5.367515

Aguemar Airport (TMR) just outside of Tamanrasset...

22°48'40.2N 5°27'03.0E

    alternate form    22.811170, 5.450830

1st Search Area... Last Known Coordinates...

(35 miles from camp, 35-mile radius search)...

23°14'56.0N 5°43'05.8E

    alternate form    23.248889, 5.718278

2nd Search Area Coordinates...

(85 miles east from Last Known Coordinates, 50-mile radius search)

23°14'56.0N 7°03'13.3E

    alternate form    23.248889, 7.053704

3rd Search Area Outer Perimeter Coordinates...

(135 miles east from Last Known Coordinates)

23°14'56.0N 7°51'14.5E

    alternate form    23.248889, 7.854014

Suspected Crash Area Coordinates...

23°15'45.6N 7°44'17.3E

    alternate form    23.262671, 7.738134

Temporary Cargo Storage Site...

23°16'12.0N 7°44'13.3E

    alternate form    23.270003, 7.737020

Half-way between In Ekker and Tit in the Amguel commune area...

(this is where the Trans-Sahara Highway and road to Bordj El Haouas meet)

23°37'32.9N 5°09'18.8E

    alternate form    23.625808, 5.155212

Bordj El Haouas, Algeria...

24°52'46.5N 8°26'29.0E

    alternate form    24.879594, 8.441385

Turn off Coordinates for off-roading on the way to Bordj El Haouas, Algeria from Tamanrasset...

24°24'45.1N 8°10'34.0E

    alternate form    24.412526, 8.176103

Hideout of Other Caravan Camp...

23°48'57.0N 8°13'17.6E

    alternate form    23.815831, 8.221558

Location where we learned of the hideout the Other Caravan established...

23°22'34.2N 8°02'01.7E

    alternate form    23.376172, 8.033797

Our 4th Campsite Location near the Location where we learned of the hideout the Other Caravan established...

23°26'09.4N 8°02'31.5E

    alternate form    23.435942, 8.042083

Cargo Hideout #1...

23°26'11.3N 8°03'16.3E

    alternate form    23.436479, 8.054515

Cargo Hideout #2...

23°26'23.7N 8°03'46.6E

    alternate form    23.439918, 8.062944

Cargo Hideout #3...

23°25'57.0N 8°03'35.7E

    alternate form    23.432494, 8.059908

Actual Hideout for Cargo...

23°16'42.8N 8°16'24.7E

    alternate form    23.278561, 8.273531

80 miles due east of Other Caravan Camp...

23°51'07.6N 9°29'21.2E

    alternate form    23.852114, 9.489213

Joined Road 15 miles due West of Djanet...

24°31'42.5N 9°14'58.0E

    alternate form    24.528465, 9.249431

Where the caravan left the road between the Trans-Sahara Highway and Bordj El Haouas to go camp behind a large hill on way to Trans-Sahara Highway

24°37'31.7N 7°02'27.1E

    alternate form    24.625472, 7.040861

Our 5th Campsite out of view from road behind a large hill on way to Trans-Sahara Highway

24°31'39.7N 7°06'42.3E

    alternate form    24.527697, 7.111757

In Salah Airport just outside of In Salah...

27°17'26.8N 2°30'18.9E

    alternate form    27.290788, 2.505247

Noumerat - Moufdi Zakaria Airport just outside of Ghardaia...

32°25'40.8N 3°48'02.2E

    alternate form    32.428004, 3.800607

Biskra Airport just outside of Biskra...

34°48'34.8N 5°43'55.0E

    alternate form    34.809670, 5.731956

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Jeri Richards, my business and personal affairs manager, looked up as I walked into the office and said brightly, Good morning, Mr. McGregor.

Morning, I said curtly, and slammed the door of my own office behind me. Once inside I felt a bit ashamed. It is a bad boss who expends his temper on the staff and Jeri did not deserve it. I snapped down the intercom switch, Will you come in, Jeri?

She entered armed with her most needed weapon -- a dictation recorder and notepad. I said, Sorry about that; I'm not feeling too well this morning.

Her lips twitched in a faint smile. Having a bad day already?

Something like that, I agreed. What's in store this morning?

Charlie Davidson wants to meet with you this sometime today to select the new paint schemes for both choppers and both jets. He also wants to set painting dates for each aircraft.

Anything else?

Sam Peters called a few minutes ago. He wants to meet with you this morning.

I grinned, Is it anything important?

All he would tell me is... it is very important, it is very lucrative financially and that time is running out, the expression on Jeri's face told me that she thought my bad mood this morning was getting the better of me. He said he'd be here in 10 minutes, she said dryly.

Anything else?

Wordlessly she pointed to my overflowing in-tray. I looked at the in-tray distastefully and said, You're a slave-driver. When Sam gets here, I'll be in Charlie's office.

Sam was always producing these hare brain ideas. I wonder what he has that is so important. I stepped into Charlie's office and said, Morning Charlie.

Good morning, JB.

I said, Sam will be here shortly and I'd like the three of us to decide on the paint scheme. I noticed Charlie had about eight easels setup in his office. They must be for displaying the different paint schemes. On second thought, let's also get Jeri's opinion on the paint scheme too.

Sounds great! We also need to produce dates for each aircraft to be painted. Charlie pressed his intercom button and said, Jeri, JB just mentioned he would like you in my office too!

We will both be there momentarily Charlie. Sam is standing in front of me now, with coffee and donuts for all, Jeri said.

* * *

By the time everyone assembled in Charlie's office, he had paint scheme examples mounted on each of the easels. Charlie then said, These are only example paint schemes. Each of the paint schemes can have any color combination or stenciling pattern you can imagine. There is also another option we have. That would-be vinyl wraps. They can do anything with vinyl wraps because the wrapping film has the text, images, and color printed on instead of paint. The aircraft wraps can be any pattern you can imagine or have any image or photo applied. Most vinyl wraps I have seen look 3-dimensional. One nice thing about aircraft wraps, they weigh a lot less than paint, so there is a significant savings on fuel cost. Wraps can also be applied much faster than sanding and preparing. I also have a web site where you can customize your own design theme for paint or for wraps. For the paint, you just point and click, for wraps, you can upload images to try out or mess around with the preloaded designs and patterns.

I said, "I think we should go with something simple. Something that fits well with all our aircraft. We each should consider the low fuel cost option. Lower fuel cost means less emission. We all need to address issues with our carbon footprint. We need to decrease that footprint. Before we choose, why don't we all look at the options? Charlie can send us all the web site URL. After we all agree on something, we can then set dates for the work to be done on each aircraft. We might even want to consider something for the yacht, motorboats, jet skis, and the pontoon boats."

Charlie said, Well JB, that's about all I have to show. I will shortly send each of you the web site.

Jeri spoke up saying, For the aircraft, I think we should have a solid color, maybe even black or maybe have a carbon fiber look, and on each side of the fuselage a large crest or shield with the letters JB written on it. The shield could have a wooden 3D look that appears like weathered wooden slats. With rusty nail holes in the slats. The tail of each aircraft could have the same shield, but smaller in scale. For the jet skis, speed boats, and pontoon boat, they could be completely wrapped in the 3D looking wood and have JB written on each side. The yacht should remain the way it is, but simply add a shield to each side.

Wow Jeri, it's almost as if you've done extensive research on vinyl wraps. I really like your ideas, said Sam.

Me too! I said. Great ideas!

I make a motion that we go with Jeri's idea and simply fine tune it. Charlie can then get our request to the company to print the film and when they can apply it. I suppose they will need to take measurements, said Sam.

Charlie said, OK Folks, that's a wrap!

Sam leaned over to me and asked, Can we meet now in your office? I have got some remarkably interesting things to discuss. We might want Jeri to be in on this too!

I said, Sure, not a problem.

* * *

The three of us were seated in my office near the southern bay window. The bay window overlooks the bay area between St. Thomas and St. John islands. Scott Johnson, the captain of my yacht, walked in. All